Lubomir Visnovsky has been traded a time or two. In 2010 while on a five-year deal he signed with the Edmonton Oilers, he did not elect his no-trade clause to block a trade back to southern California and the Anaheim Ducks. (He'd previously starred for the Los Angeles Kings).Often in those cases the contract remains but the no-trade protection disappears, for whatever reason. We'll see if that's the case here, because multiple reports have Visnovsky filing a grievance with the NHLPA to have his recent trade to the New York Islanders voided.... According to Newsday's Arthur Staple, the grievance will go to arbitration and the Isles obviously "aren't happy." According to reports out of Slovakia and Sweden, Visnovsky and his agent Neil Sheehy don't know if they'll win or not -- but they said the facts are unclear enough that they thought they'd try....
For Visnovsky, it's also a guy protecting his interests and trying to remain in southern California where he's spent 10 of his 11 seasons. (Still...maybe do this when the trade is consummated, rather than a month later, buddy?) Based on previous trades somehow erasing no-trade clauses -- something that doesn't sound fair, but it's how these have apparently gone -- I don't rate Visnovsky's chances of winning very highly. But I also don't recall another player challenging this murky (and frankly strange) area of the CBA or shadow CBA through arbitration.
If he loses, he can enter the Evgeni Nabokov "This Isn't So Bad, In Fact I Kind of Like It Here" program. The burning question for the Islanders isn't the annoying PR hit this entails; it's what happens on the blueline if Visnovsky suddenly isn't on it in 2011-12....
UNbelievable.
Seriously.
I cannot believe he is doing this- but even more importantly, why the fuck is he doing it NOW and not back at the goddamn draft last month? Why does he wait til NOW when so many defensemen are already signed by other teams? If you think youre too good to play for the Islanders and our money isnt good enough for you, do you have to fuck the team over so that they have no chance at seeing whether someone else comparable might have been willing to take our money?
And WTF, the Ducks dont understand their own contracts? If he has a NTC shouldnt they, I dont know, KNOW ABOUT IT???? If he wins this, the Isles will be far below the cap floor and at this point I do not know WTF they will be able to do about it. I am so angry and so disappointed in this guy I cannot even tell you.
This point has been edited by Chris TMC: 23 July 2012 - 11:36 AM
